Facebook Android app testing out a feature to use less data 

Facebook has been a constant in the list of apps guilty of eating up so much of our data (and battery life too) and yet, people can’t seem to uninstall it from their mobile devices. Some are willing to just accept that it is what it is instead of actually trying to save their data and juice. But it looks like the social network is concerned about being labeled a constant offender and now seems to be testing out a “use less data” feature for the Android app.

Some have reported seeing the switch on their apps called “Use Less Data” (maybe they should think of another time that is not as “use less”) which, based on its name, will apparently save some of your precious data. But based on the description below it, the only way it will affect your regular usage is that it will shrink the images in your News Feed so it will appear smaller than usual. Obviously, pictures consume a lot of data so it’s no wonder that this is the first step (hopefully just the first) towards helping curb the data-hungry app.

The toggle is featured at the top of the sidebar menu of the app, which is already a pretty crowded place. Having the option on top might mean it is that important or maybe because they’re still in the testing phase and so they want to get as much engagement as they can and burying it somewhere in the middle is not the way to go. But when they do roll it out (if they roll it out), then it might get relegated into the settings section.

Reducing the size of the photo may not seem much, but there are probably other things happening that contribute to the data reduction. Let’s see if this test run will produce satisfactory results for both consumers and Facebook.

VIA: Android Police